Environmentally Friendly Wrapping Paper Options

'Tis the season to start Christmas shopping! There are plenty of ways to keep your holiday shopping green, but how can you wrap your gifts in a festive way that is also eco-friendly?

A lot of times typical wrapping paper is not recyclable, especially if it has tape on it, so be aware of that before wrapping your gifts in that. There are lots of recycled and sustainable giftwrap options out there, so if you like the traditional look of wrapping paper, go that route! My favorite green way of wrapping a gift is wrapping it in ANOTHER gift! If it's a gift for a baby, wrap the gift in a baby blanket or burp cloths. Or what about wrapping a gift in a funky scarf? You can also buy a fun looking cloth tote bag to use as a gift bag.

You can also just use plain old fabric. Stock up on different kinds of fabric in different sizes and patterns, and wrap presents in it. It's festive and can be reused.

Newspaper or brown paper bags are other green wrapping paper options. You can get really creative with the latter, by painting on it or putting stickers. If you have kids, turn it into a craft project!

If you're at the store and need some wrapping material in a pinch and there aren't any eco-friendly options, buy a gift bag instead of wrapping paper. This way, the recipient can reuse it for another gift. (Whenever we're given a gift in a gift bag, we store them in a box in the basement so we can reuse them!)

And who says you have to wrap a gift, anyway? Find some nice looking baskets or boxes. These are really cool and they're fair trade.